Mosquito

We're studying genetic variation in the Anopheles mosquitoes that transmit malaria in order to better understand important evolutionary processes, such as how these mosquitoes adapt to resist infection with malaria parasites and survive insecticides.

Female mosquitoes pass malaria parasites from person to person, when they feed on blood to help their eggs develop. There are many different species of mosquito, but only Anopheles mosquitoes carry malaria.

Malaria control interventions that target mosquitoes – for example insecticide-treated bednets – have played an important role in reducing malaria, particularly in Africa where the majority of malaria deaths occur. But mosquitoes are adapting by developing resistance to insecticide treatments, which threatens to undermine progress towards malaria elimination.

Understanding how mosquito populations are evolving is crucial to maximise the lifespan of available insecticides, and to support the deployment of new insecticides and other new tools for preventing malaria transmission.

Projects

Ag1000G is an international collaboration using whole genome deep sequencing to provide a high-resolution view of genetic variation in natural populations of Anopheles gambiae, the principal vector of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Africa.